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UK SPORT JOINS SPORTACCORD CONVENTION TO PROMOTE LONDON 2012 LEGACY

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - UK Sport has announced a partnership with the SportAccord Convention to globally promote its Gold Event Series - an ambitious strategy to host more than 70 world class major events in the UK to help support a strong London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy.

The National Lottery funded Ł27 million Gold Event Series will work in partnership with International and European Federations with the aim of bringing more than 70 of the world's most prestigious sporting events to the UK, including 36 World and European Championships between 2013-2019.

Events already secured include the 2017 World Athletics and IPC Athletics Championships to be staged in the London Olympic Stadium, the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the Hydro Arena in Glasgow and the 2013 World Triathlon Grand Final to be held on the London Olympic course in September.

Events being targeted include; the LEN European Swimming Championships 2016 and the UCI Track Cycling World Championships 2016, both of which, if successful would be staged in the 2012 Olympic venues.

"2012 was an incredible year for the UK with London hosting the Summer Olympic Games." said Nis Hatt, SportAccord Convention Managing Director. "This partnership will showcase Uk Sport's Gold Event Series to the international sports movement, demonstrating the commitment to a sporting legacy that was highlighted in their presentation in Singapore, 2005."

Simon Morton, Director of Major Events and International Relations at UK Sport, said:
"The success of the London 2012 Games, both in preparation and execution, has put the UK's global competitiveness in bidding for sporting events at an all-time high.

"Through our Gold Event Series, we are committed to providing International Federations with a world-class environment to host their major events and to build a lasting legacy from London 2012."

"The UK has passionate fans, excellent transport links, thousands of experienced volunteers and a strong television and sponsor market. These assets combined with a proven track record in hosting major events makes the UK a perfect host for international sport."

"Our partnership with the SportAccord Convention will allow us to promote the Gold Event Series internationally and showcase the UK as a welcoming and world-class host for major sporting events."

In preparation for London 2012, UK Sport worked with 32 International Federations and 10 European Federations to stage more than 100 major sporting events in the UK, a programme recognised by the IOC as 'an example for other host Olympic nations to follow'.

With increased investment from the National Lottery, the Gold Event Series will focus on attracting bigger, more targeted, events.

The Government backed comprehensive support package offered to major events hosted in the UK is made up of 14 key areas to assist national governing bodies to ensure they can attract and stage the world's most prestigious sporting events through a strong partnership approach.

These services will support both the bidding process (including assistance towards feasibility studies, business planning, political endorsement and technical bidding advice) and the delivery (including staging advice, equipment support, event research and knowledge transfer) of major events, with the highest levels of support prioritised towards the most strategically important events.

UK Sport

UK Sport is the nation's high-performance sports agency. Its mission is to work in partnership to lead sport in the UK to world class success. Primarily this means working with our partner sporting organisations to deliver medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. UK Sport's strategic direction helped British sports and athletes deliver 65 Olympic and 120 Paralympic medals at London 2012. UK Sport also has responsibility for activities best delivered at a UK level, such as: bidding for and staging major sporting events in this country; increasing sporting activity and influence overseas; and promoting sporting conduct, ethics and diversity in society. UK Sport is funded by a mix of Government Exchequer and National Lottery income. More @ www.uksport.gov.uk